Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pańcāstikāya-samgraha – With Authentic Explanatory Notes in English (The Jaina Metaphysics)
Subtitle: The Jaina Metaphysics
By: Edited and translated by Vijay K. Jain
Series: No
Publisher: Vikalp Printers
Published: 2020
Place of publication: Degradun, India
Language: eng
Translated from: pra
Translation of: Ācārya Kundakunda’s Pańcāstikāya-samgraha
Format: Hardcover
Number of pages: 432
ISBN-13: 9788193272657
Copyright date: No copyright
Description: Pańcāstikāya means ‘five-substances-with-bodily-existence’ and these are: the soul (jīva), the physical-matter (pudgala), the medium-of-motion (dharma), the medium-of-rest (adharma), and the space (ākāśa). These five substances collectively constitute the universe-space (loka). Outside this universe-space (loka) is the infinite non-universe-space (aloka), comprising just the pure space (ākāśa). The substance-of-time (kāla dravya) which renders assistance to all substances in their continuity of being through gradual changes is not an ‘astikāya’ since it occupies a single space-point and, therefore, does not possess the characteristic of body (kāya).
Pańcāstikāya-samgraha expounds the Jaina metaphysics – the philosophy of being and knowing – including the nature of the pure soul-substance (jīvāstikāya) which is integral to the seven realities (tattva), the nine objects (padārtha), and the six substances (dravya). While the substance (dravya) never leaves its essential character of existence (sattā), it undergoes origination (utpāda), destruction (vyaya) and permanence (dhrauvya). There is inseparable association between the qualities (guņa) and the substance (dravya). The discussion relies on the ‘doctrine of conditional predication’ (syādvāda) and the ‘seven-nuance system’ (saptabhańgī), as expounded by Lord Jina.
Notes: Pańcāstikāya-samgraha or Pańcāstikāya-sāra (known briefly as Pańcāstikāya and spelled commonly as Panchastikay) is one of the four most important and popular works of Ācārya Kundakunda (circa first century B.C.), the other three being Samayasāra, Pravacanasāra and Niyamasāra. The original text is in Prakrit language and contains a total of 173 verses (gāthā).
Table of contents: label: DIVINE BLESSINGS
title: v; label: PREFACE
title: vii; label: ACKNOWLEDGMENT
title: li; label: VIJAY K. JAIN – BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
title: liv; label: MEGA-CHAPTER 1
title: 3; label: MEGA-CHAPTER 2
title: 203; label: INDEX OF VERSES
title: 333; label: INDEX OF SCRIPTURAL EXCERPTS
title: 343; label: GUIDE TO TRANSLITERATION
title: 346